You'll need a separate consultation with an arborist re the trees.

Like anything, it's negotiable with sellers, they may or may not go along with what the report finds/recommends.

Sorry, I meant to start a new thread for the tree question!

We are moving from the city to the 'burbs and are excited about the kids having a big yard to play in. We like a house that is on 1.4 acres with a lawn as well as lots of mature trees. We don't know anything about tree care but have heard that diseased trees, in addition to being a safety hazard, are also very expensive to take down. Would it be a good idea to have the surrounding trees inspected as part of the inspection process? If something needed to be addressed, would that be a negotiable item with the seller?

Anonymous wrote:I ditto that lousy home inspector experience. I would maybe do a home inspector and a contractor that you pay a consult fee for.

NP. This is what I am planning to do in the near future

^^^^

Oh, and I agree that HOWs are largely worthless, a good home inspection won't catch everything that can go wrong (appliance failing etc.) but I'd rather rely on a good inspection than a HOW after hearing tales of how badly they are administered in many cases.

If you have a good one, no need.

We've used David Drewry twice and have been very satisfied with his work (have no connection w/ him). If one does it right, you don't need a 2nd.

That seems like overkill if you do your homework and get a good inspector. I have not heard of anyone doing two inspections, is that even allowed under the contract?

Anonymous wrote:
Don't rely on HOW warranties - they are a crock. And have big $ set aside for rainy day emergencies. And ask for the seller to fix stuff if you can negotiate. In our neighborhood, that isn't an option so ask your realtor.

This varies. When I bought my first home, I got my money's worth out of the home appliance warranty. The water boiler was on its last legs and I got an $800 water boiler on the warranty. I also had servicing done on the washer, dryer and dishwasher. None were horrible, but all would have been visits I would have had to pay and I got a gasket on the dishwasher also included. Considering that the previous owner spent about $400 and I got about $1000 worth of service from the deal, it was worth it.

Also, when I sold that same house 3 years ago, I bought an appliance warranty package for it. This was one of the selling points and the buyers definitely wanted that. It smoothed things over since I already had it on the house.

They are good for what they cover (appliances).

I ditto that lousy home inspector experience. I would maybe do a home inspector and a contractor that you pay a consult fee for.

on this house we didn't have an inspector thats how cynical i've become.

Buying an older home has big risks on major problems. I think you need to look for obvious defects - basement wetness (did they recently paint the basement - usually hides something), cracks in the exterior walls, misalignment of walls and floors, very old boiler. I agree with 10:46 - think about inspectors motivation and take what they say with that knowledge.

Don't rely on HOW warranties - they are a crock. And have big $ set aside for rainy day emergencies. And ask for the seller to fix stuff if you can negotiate. In our neighborhood, that isn't an option so ask your realtor.

I found the most expensive stuff includes painting a wood shingle house - $10000 or more. And you might need to do that every 5 - 10 years! Electrical upgrades are very expensive and can be unending - has house been "heavied up"?

How is the water pressure? Turn on the shower upstairs and let it run for a while. DO you get hot water eventually (how long)? How is water pressure? Low water pressure can be tricky and expensive to fix (although ours was just fixing the main shutoff). Does it drain? The pans in those old shower eventually leak and are major repairs when you fail (fortunately our house already had this happen so we are good for a while).

Is it slate roof? THose can last forever but need regular maintenance which isn't too bad. (Please don't replace it with asphalt!) How are the gutters? Do they drain or are they clogged (a source of water in basement)?

Another question for you. What are the trees like near the house? It can cost thousands to take down a tree or worse it can fall on your house. If this is dc, the street trees are maintained by the city.

Looking for rotting porches - another big expense.

There was a thread recently on home inspectors. I didn't read it but see if there is anyone mentioned who is really thorough and not beholden to the realtors. Most of the inspectors are recommended by realtors so they don't want to be the ones to kill the deal. I've bought 2 houses and on both the inspectors missed some pretty major items. Sorry that I don't have a recommendation.

We are writing an offer on a large older home that seems to have been lovingly maintained, but given its age I wouldn't be surprised if there are issues lurking. I have often heard that different inspectors find different things, and that no inspector will catch everything. If that is the case, would it make sense to do two inspections, with different inspectors? Have any of you done that before?